Sweet Summertime
by raleighlane
Summary: Eric and Calleigh take their baby daughter to the pool for the first time. Fluff and sunburns ensue.


Hello hello! I have by no means given up on Easing In, but I've just been in a one-shot mood lately. Here is the fluff that you all definitely deserve after I sprung that sad little piece on you last week. I promise that NO ONE DIES. :)

* * *

The Miami sunshine was bright and cheerful, though not oppressively hot. The palmettos were swaying in the breeze, and Calleigh would have taken a moment to appreciate the beautiful weather if she hadn't been quite so anxious.

"Eric, maybe this is too early. Doesn't this seem like it's a little early?"

Her partner chuckled and continued walking, though he paused momentarily to lean down and press a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Cal, she's gonna be okay, just trust me. I was in the water weeks before I was her age and I turned out just fine."

Her eyes twinkled as she replied. "Oh, you're more than just fine, sweetpea." She gave his toned bicep a squeeze.

"Aww, Cal! I had no idea you felt that way!" he said, winking at her.

She smirked at him, but her brow soon furrowed again. "No, but really Eric. I just think that maybe she's not ready for this… I mean there's no need to rush! We live in Miami! We could do this any time!"

Finally realizing the extent of her distress, Eric stopped and shifted the infant he held to a position over his hip so that he could throw an arm around Calleigh's shoulders. Looking into her eyes, he made his best attempt at putting her fears to rest, using the logic and reason that would most appeal to her.

"Cal, baby, we asked the doctor about this last week and she said it was perfectly fine. I'm sure that the pediatrician has heard the question a hundred times and knows for certain when it is safe to take a baby into the water. Relax, she'll be fine, and we'll be with her the entire time."

The look in her eyes signaled that she was still clearly unsure, but she decided to concede for now.

"Ok, but if she doesn't like it she's coming out _right away_."

At that, Eric returned his attention to the baby girl in his arms, smiling into her wide chocolate eyes. "Of course she'll like the water. She's daddy's little angelfish. Aren't you niñita? Yo sé que eres…" the rest of his words, whatever they were, were lost to Calleigh since he had begun to nuzzle their daughter's neck, earning him little gurgling giggles and a delighted squeak or two from the little girl.

"See? She's so happy. She _wants_ to go swimming with her papi…"

Calleigh, rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. Though still not completely sure about the whole plan, the sight was too adorable to argue with.

Setting their pool gear down on a nearby lounge, Calleigh reached for her baby. Already, at the ripe old age of five months, Ella Rose Delko was the spitting image of her father; all warm coloring and wide-eyed charm. Calleigh could see a little of herself in the child too, but was secretly delighted to have another adorable mini-Eric. Though she knew that when Ella got a little older, the combined force of her husband and daughter's pouty puppy dog looks would always have the strength to completely undo her.

"Eric, I'm worried about her skin burning. Did you bring the SPF 70?" Calleigh was tugging a bright yellow sunhat onto Ella's wispy curls, much to the child's dismay. Her chubby fists attempted to brush the offending object off of her head, but Calleigh wouldn't have it.

Eric snorted dismissively. "Calleigh, our daughter is half-Cuban. She'll be blessed with skin that doesn't burn, just like her father."

"Right, Eric, whatever you say," replied Calleigh, rooting around in her beach bag for the sunscreen. She finally found it and applied it liberally to the baby's soft skin, tickling little ribs and toes as she went.

Eric bounced on the balls of his feet while he blew up a blue plastic whale float for the baby to sit in, and Calleigh laughed at him when he finished with a face red from the exertion.

"Havin' a little trouble there, Superdad?"

He didn't answer, opting instead to dip a foot in the pool and administer a well-aimed splash. Calleigh shrieked when the cool water hit her skin and gave him one of her rather famous death glares.

"Aww, don't look at me like that, Cal. You're gonna be all wet soon anyway."

"No, I won't be joining you in the pool. I'd rather soak up the sun here."

Eric smirked, taking their child and starting toward the pool steps with her. "You know Cal; you just used about half a bottle of sunscreen on yourself. It seems pretty unlikely that you will be soaking up any sun anywhere." Seeing that she had settled into her lounge chair for what appeared to be the long haul, he groused, "aren't you even going to take your dress off?"

"No, I think I'll watch you and Ella just like this." She pushed her sunglasses further up on her nose and leaned back to relax and observe.

Eric, however, backtracked and settled himself on the edge of the lounge chair, cuddling Ella against his stomach while he placed a warm brown hand on Calleigh's thigh. "Calleigh, you know you're more beautiful now than ever, right? I mean, you and El are by far the prettiest girls I know. And trust me," he added as an afterthought, waggling his eyebrows at her, "I know some very pretty girls."

Calleigh immediately felt a warm rush of gratitude for her husband, who seemed to always know just how to make her feel lovely and appreciated. It was taking her a bit longer than she'd expected to get her pre-baby figure back, and she found her appearance very discouraging. Eric knew, without having to be told, that this was why she was unwilling to swim with them, and he was doing his best to make her feel better. Impulsively, she tipped forward in her chair, throwing her arms around Eric's shoulders from the side and planting a kiss on his stubbly cheek.

Her verbal response, however, was an accusation with a smile. "Uh huh, you're just saying that 'cause you like the enhanced cleavage."

"Well I can't say that I _mind _it…" he grinned playfully. "Though it seems that El gets to see more of that lovely chest than I do nowadays," he pouted.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, we could leave the swimming lessons for another day instead... go put Ella down for a nap and let you do some _exploring_."

The look he gave her was somewhat agonized and totally adorable. He really wanted to see his daughter in the water, but the temptation offered by Calleigh was a very strong incentive to grab the beach towels and run. When he couldn't make the decision immediately, he began to pout, turning the full force of his best puppy dog eyes on the woman who had a very poor track record at resisting them.

"Can't I _please _have both?" he wheedled, sweetening the pot by offering her a massage.

She rolled her eyes and gave in without her typical stubbornness. She knew he'd convince her in the end anyway. And it wasn't as if she wouldn't benefit from it too.

"Alright, alright." He grinned as she gently nudged him off of her chair saying, "now get that baby in the water if you're so determined to do it. I'm anxious to see how she does."

Of course Ella had loved the water. Though unsure at first, she gradually became more and more comfortable in her environment, giggling as her father pulled her little whale around the pool while making ridiculous engine noises. Eric was over the moon with joy, and couldn't seem to contain it even a little bit. Every time the little girl did something new (or _anything_, really) he called out for Calleigh to look or watch or speculate with him about whether she would make a better swimmer or diver when she grew up. Calleigh just smiled, and it was several hours later when father and daughter were ready to come out of the pool.

The sun drenched and happy family made their way back to their townhouse, and Ella fell asleep immediately, exhausted from her day in the water. Calleigh put the baby down in the nursery, and joined Eric on the couch in the living room where he was sitting rather gingerly.

"What's wrong, babe?" she asked, puzzled by his grimace. She'd thought she'd need to brace herself for him jumping her bones from the way he had been talking earlier.

"Uh… um, well nothing really," he said, clearly trying to relax into a posture that didn't make him appear quite so pained.

"Well then, I think I remember you saying something about getting some… quality time with me?" She gave him a siren's smile as she crossed the room and straddled his lap, placing her hands on his broad and bare chest.

He winced.

"Eric! You're burning up!" she exclaimed, scrambling off of him and pressing a cool palm to his forehead. "Are you alright? Are you sick?"

"Um no, uh… I think I may have gotten a bit, you know… sunburned."

Her concern evaporated, replaced by an amused, though somewhat pitying countenance. "What? My sexy Cuban husband has a sunburn? But I was told that that was impossible…?" She smirked at him knowingly. "Guess that whole 'exploration' will just have to wait," she called as she walked toward the bathroom.

"Caaaalllleeiiiiigh," he moaned. "You aren't just gonna leave me here in pain are you?"

She came back into view and tossed him a bottle of aloe, now heading for the stairs. "Not in pain, exactly. That should help take the sting away. But since I was promised a massage that it looks like I'm not going to get, I think I'll just go take a nice, hot bath. Baby monitor's on the table!"

She chuckled to herself as she heard his moaning all the way from the second-floor master bedroom. Served him right. Though, she thought, he had been pretty sweet at the pool today both in complimenting her and delighting Ella. Maybe, she snickered to herself, if he was lucky she'd help soothe some of his _un_sunburned parts after her bath.


End file.
